In a written statement, Çağlayan said negotiations related to the use of Egypt, rather than Syria, as a passage route to Middle East and the Gulf were completed. Turkey has been seeking new trade routes to the Middle East since relations with neighbor Syria broke down following the Syrian government’s violent handling of pro-democracy protests that began in March in the country. The UN recently said 5,000 people may have been killed as a result of President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal suppression of the demonstrations.
If the finalized talks are to result in an agreement, Turkish export goods will be shipped to Egypt in January and from there overland to Gulf countries, bypassing Syria. Late November, Ankara joined the Arab League and Western powers in imposing nine economic sanctions against Assad’s government to put more pressure on the Syrian regime.
Since then, Turkey has been blocking the delivery of all weapons and military equipment to Damascus and a cooperation agreement with Syria was suspended until a new government is formed in the Middle Eastern country. Turkey says it is paying utmost attention to not harm the people while putting more pressure on the brutal regime ruling its southern neighbor.
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Source : todayszaman.com
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